Days after posting a tweet where he seemingly criticized Riyadh Season, Shakur Stevenson appears to be in a conciliatory mood. The lightweight champion is on a messaging spree. His apology to Turki Alalshikh has already gained considerable traction. But first, his take on Canelo Alvarez, who landed in Saudi Arabia to prepare for the William Scull fight, caught everyone’s eye.

On February 22, making his Riyadh Season debut, the Newark native defeated Josh Padley on the Dmitry Bivol-Artur Beterbiev card. Subsequent talks about the mega fight with divisional rival Gervonta Davis grabbed headlines. However, with the boxing star not showing any interest, Stevenson set his sights on William Zepeda. The two were, in fact, lined up for a fight early in February. Perhaps, given the situation where he finds himself currently, a fight with Zepeda appears to be the most sensible alternative. Thus, instead of ruffling feathers, he needs to tread the path carefully. Discretion is always the better part of valor.

It was Shakur Stevenson’s apparent confusion that probably amused everyone. He came across a picture that featured Canelo and Eddy Reynoso standing alongside someone who strongly resembled former NFL wide receiver Antonio Brown. So Stevenson remarked, “Swear I thought that was my bro Antonio Brown.”

The post immediately attracted a slew of comments and reactions from followers. “Haha, that’s hilarious! For a second, I thought it was Antonio Brown too. But nah, it’s just a lookalike. AB’s one of a kind, both on and off the field. Always keeps us guessing!” one user said.

Just a few days ago, Ring Magazine shared footage of Canelo on board the flight to Riyadh. Subsequent posts featured him interacting with Riyadh Season officials and Turki Alalshikh. The super middleweight champion had signed a four-fight deal with the Saudis. So per the contract, for 2025, he will face Scull in Riyadh first, then follow up with Terence Crawford later in September.

Shakur Stevenson attempts to mend fences

Following the tweet, fans witnessed Shakur Stevenson apologizing to Turki Alalshikh. “Excited about my next fight; it was a misunderstanding between Turki and the team. My apologies on my part for overreacting. 🦾 Let’s work @Turki_alalshikh.”

The lightweight champion went full blast after Oscar De La Hoya ranted that he was avoiding the fight against William Zepeda. Stevenson described how he couldn’t agree with the Riyadh Season’s offer. Later he called out the Golden Boy directly.

The two comments from Stevenson might not be connected and may be best understood independently. But to a great extent, it lays bare boxing’s current landscape. Days when a fighter’s star power was enough to attract a fight are perhaps over. Multiple variables need to work together and set up a bout, especially a big pay-per-view.

Hopefully the back-and-forth with Riyadh Season should come to an end, and fans can see Shakur Stevenson back in the ring against a big name.

What’s your take? Once the Zepeda fight is over and Tank remains silent, should Stevenson consider a fight with close friend Keyshawn Davis or move up a division?